Thesis- PTSD is a serious mental health condition that affects a very broad range of people, including children, and while the disorder has been in existence for nearly as long as humans have been around, it has only recently been diagnosed.
Basics
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
Causes
War
Assault
Rape
Domestic Abuse
Terrorism
Prison Stay
Symptoms
Symptoms of PTSD fall into three main categories:
1. "Reliving" the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity
Flashback episodes, where the event seems to be happening again and again
Repeated upsetting memories of the event
Repeated nightmares of the event
Strong, uncomfortable reactions to situations that is a reminder of the event
2. Avoidance
Emotional "numbing," or feeling as though you don't care about anything
Feeling detached
Being unable to remember important aspects of the trauma
Having a lack of interest in normal activities
Showing less of your moods
Avoiding places, people, or thoughts that remind you of the event
Feeling like you have no future
3. Arousal
Difficulty concentrating
Startling easily
Having an exaggerated response to things that are startling
Feeling more aware (hyper vigilance)
Feeling irritable or having outbursts of anger
Having trouble falling or staying asleepHistory of PTSDTopic Sentence- While the term PTSD and the diagnosis of this disorder are relatively recent developments, the concept of PTSD has existed for thousands of years.Nancy C. Andreasen, of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, explains that PTSD's history has often been linked to the history of war, but the disorder has also been frequently described in civilian settings involving natural disasters, mass catastrophes, and serious accidental injuries.
Symptoms attributed to PTSD have been written about for thousands of years.
Some notable PTSD realizations were attributed to Homer in the Illiad, and Shakespeare in Macbeth, both deal with extremely strenuous events.
A bit later in 1666, Samuel Pepys, a member of parliament, famously wrote in a diary about his emotional state after the London fire of 1666, saying he suffered from “sleep disturbances, fear feelings, and intrusive memories that haunted him for a long time.”
samuel pepys
These men recognized what was causing the symptoms they had seen, but they were unable to generalize their findings to a larger discovery.
1800's
Dr. Mandez Da Costa, and "soldier's heart".
These positive steps toward acknowledgement and understanding of PTSD took a step back in the early 1900's during the world wars.
Early 1900's
After WWI the term shell shock was introduced for veterans in England suffering from PTSD like symptoms. “Between 1914 and 1918, the British Army identified 80,000 men as suffering from shell shock. Shell shock was seen as a sign of emotional weakness or cowardice.”
“More than 300 British soldiers, many suffering from “shell shock,” are executed for cowardice.”
WWII
In 1943, “U.S. Army Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital in Sicily, asks one to describe his injuries. “It’s my nerves,” the soldier replies. Patton slaps him across the face and calls him a coward.”
Late 1900's
DSM I (1952) First official mention of a stress response syndrome.
DSM II (1968) Stress related disorders omitted from DSM
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III).
It is interesting the time periods of when PTSD type disorders were included in DSM.
The 1980 edition of the DSM was the foundations of what we see in the diagnosis of PTSD today.
PTSD Today
As Post Traumatic Stress Disorder becomes more widely known, the number of reported cases also seems to be increasing. Today, more than seven million Americans are diagnosed with PTSD, and clinics are offering their support in return.
Soliders are now able to get a PTSD screening when they return from war.
PTSD screenings are offered at 88 primary care clinics nationwide.
When soldiers go to clinics for other matters, they are asked to fill out a form to determine whether they have PTSD.
Soldiers who test positive for PTSD are given a treatment plan.
In 2011 the Department of Veteran Affairs reported that there was a 6-7% increase in the number of PTSD cases, about 9,000 new cases every three months
.
Full-size image (9 K)
This chart does not show a growth in cases, but shows an increase in the number of articles written on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This shows us that PTSD is becoming more widely heard of and well recognized.
Some treatments for PTSD include:
Various types of Psychotherapy
Prescribed Medication
Alternative Medicine
PTSD and Children
PTSD not only drastically influences the lives of adults, but also children. Children and adults suffer similar symptoms as adults, but a child is at risk of developing a future mental illness, such as depression and a panic disorder.
Children develop PTSD when the situation is perceived as life threatening or extremely dangerous
The child will either respond with extreme:
Fear
The feeling of helplessness
Horror
Factors that contribute to childhood PTSD
How close the child was to the actual traumatic event
Was the child involved?
Did the child witness the trauma as it was happening?
How close was the child involved with the victims
Did the trauma involve the child’s immediate family?
The severity of the traumatic event
How long the traumatic event lasted
Symptoms of Childhood PTSD
Feeling and acting like the traumatic event is happening again
Acting younger than their age
Losing interest in activities
Increased alertness
Children believe there were signs that the trauma/traumatic event were going to happen. They search for those signs in everyday life.
Children believe that if they pay attention they can anticipate future trauma
Repeating behavior that reminds them of the trauma
Avoidance
Upsetting or extremely frightening dreams
Symptoms for Younger Children (who cannot express feelings verbally)
Out of control disruptive behavior
Extreme fear of being separated from their parent
Treatment for Childhood PTSD
Cognitive behavioral therapy
The number one treatment which applies that our thoughts and feelings influence our behavior
Play Therapy
Uses hand on materials to help younger kids process traumatic memories
Talk therapy
Help the child remember the traumatic event safely dealing with grief, guilt, anger, depression, anxiety, or behavioral issues
Family Therapy
Establishes a safe environment for the child, also creates a support system
Sohrab and PTSD
There are a number of factors contributing to Sohrab's behavior that support PTSD symptoms.
Causes of PTSD
The murder of his parents
Witnesses their murders
Living in an orphanage
Being bought by Assef
Repeated abuse- sexually and mentally
Witnessing Amir getting beat close to death
Shooting Assef in the eye
Sohrab’s Signs of PTSD
Silence
“Silence that sucked everything in like a black hole.” pg 363
Constantly Tired
Frequently sleeps throughout social situations
Bursts of Emotions
"Please! Please, no!" he croaked. "I'm scared of that place. They'll hurt me! I don't want to go." (pg 341)
Constant fear of repeating the trauma he experienced
Extreme fear of being placed in an orphanage again
Results in a suicide attempt
Difficulty Maintaining Close Relationships
After Sohrab and Amir become close, Sohrab cuts himself off from everyone.
"So I left the room and went looking for another hotel, unaware that almost a year would pass before I would hear Sohrab speak another word." (page 356)
Overwhelming Guilt or Shame
"Because I don't want them to see me...I'm so dirty." He sucked in his breath and let it out in a long, wheezing cry. "I'm so dirty and full of sin." (pg 319)
Treatment for Sohrab
A stable home environment
Amir gives Sohrab a stable home, but does not provide help for Sohrab’s PTSD
Cognitive behavioral therapy or family therapy for both Amir and Sohrab
Wrap up-
Definition- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
1. PTSD can occur from many other events than just war, such as domestic abuse, rape, prison stay, mass catastrophes, and serious accidental injuries
2. PTSD has a long history and was only recently given its due attention as a serious medical disorder.
3. PTSD can affect children differently than adults, possibly putting them at risk of developing a future mental illness, such as depression or a panic disorder.
PTSD
Thesis- PTSD is a serious mental health condition that affects a very broad range of people, including children, and while the disorder has been in existence for nearly as long as humans have been around, it has only recently been diagnosed.
Basics
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
Causes
War
Assault
Rape
Domestic Abuse
Terrorism
Prison Stay
Symptoms
Symptoms of PTSD fall into three main categories:
1. "Reliving" the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity
Flashback episodes, where the event seems to be happening again and again
Repeated upsetting memories of the event
Repeated nightmares of the event
Strong, uncomfortable reactions to situations that is a reminder of the event
2. Avoidance
Emotional "numbing," or feeling as though you don't care about anything
Feeling detached
Being unable to remember important aspects of the trauma
Having a lack of interest in normal activities
Showing less of your moods
Avoiding places, people, or thoughts that remind you of the event
Feeling like you have no future
3. Arousal
Difficulty concentrating
Startling easily
Having an exaggerated response to things that are startling
Feeling more aware (hyper vigilance)
Feeling irritable or having outbursts of anger
Having trouble falling or staying asleep History of PTSDTopic Sentence- While the term PTSD and the diagnosis of this disorder are relatively recent developments, the concept of PTSD has existed for thousands of years.Nancy C. Andreasen, of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, explains that PTSD's history has often been linked to the history of war, but the disorder has also been frequently described in civilian settings involving natural disasters, mass catastrophes, and serious accidental injuries.
Symptoms attributed to PTSD have been written about for thousands of years.
Some notable PTSD realizations were attributed to Homer in the Illiad, and Shakespeare in Macbeth, both deal with extremely strenuous events.
A bit later in 1666, Samuel Pepys, a member of parliament, famously wrote in a diary about his emotional state after the London fire of 1666, saying he suffered from “sleep disturbances, fear feelings, and intrusive memories that haunted him for a long time.”
These men recognized what was causing the symptoms they had seen, but they were unable to generalize their findings to a larger discovery.
1800's
Dr. Mandez Da Costa, and "soldier's heart".
These positive steps toward acknowledgement and understanding of PTSD took a step back in the early 1900's during the world wars.
Early 1900's
After WWI the term shell shock was introduced for veterans in England suffering from PTSD like symptoms. “Between 1914 and 1918, the British Army identified 80,000 men as suffering from shell shock. Shell shock was seen as a sign of emotional weakness or cowardice.”
“More than 300 British soldiers, many suffering from “shell shock,” are executed for cowardice.”
WWII
In 1943, “U.S. Army Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital in Sicily, asks one to describe his injuries. “It’s my nerves,” the soldier replies. Patton slaps him across the face and calls him a coward.”
Late 1900's
PTSD TodayDSM I (1952) First official mention of a stress response syndrome.
DSM II (1968) Stress related disorders omitted from DSM
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III).
It is interesting the time periods of when PTSD type disorders were included in DSM.
The 1980 edition of the DSM was the foundations of what we see in the diagnosis of PTSD today.
As Post Traumatic Stress Disorder becomes more widely known, the number of reported cases also seems to be increasing. Today, more than seven million Americans are diagnosed with PTSD, and clinics are offering their support in return.
.Soliders are now able to get a PTSD screening when they return from war.
PTSD screenings are offered at 88 primary care clinics nationwide.
When soldiers go to clinics for other matters, they are asked to fill out a form to determine whether they have PTSD.
Soldiers who test positive for PTSD are given a treatment plan.
In 2011 the Department of Veteran Affairs reported that there was a 6-7% increase in the number of PTSD cases, about 9,000 new cases every three months
This chart does not show a growth in cases, but shows an increase in the number of articles written on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This shows us that PTSD is becoming more widely heard of and well recognized.
Some treatments for PTSD include:
Various types of Psychotherapy
Prescribed Medication
Alternative Medicine
PTSD and Children
PTSD not only drastically influences the lives of adults, but also children. Children and adults suffer similar symptoms as adults, but a child is at risk of developing a future mental illness, such as depression and a panic disorder.
Children develop PTSD when the situation is perceived as life threatening or extremely dangerous
The child will either respond with extreme:
Fear
The feeling of helplessness
Horror
Factors that contribute to childhood PTSD
How close the child was to the actual traumatic event
Was the child involved?
Did the child witness the trauma as it was happening?
How close was the child involved with the victims
Did the trauma involve the child’s immediate family?
The severity of the traumatic event
How long the traumatic event lasted
Symptoms of Childhood PTSD
Feeling and acting like the traumatic event is happening again
Acting younger than their age
Losing interest in activities
Increased alertness
Children believe there were signs that the trauma/traumatic event were going to happen. They search for those signs in everyday life.
Children believe that if they pay attention they can anticipate future trauma
Repeating behavior that reminds them of the trauma
Avoidance
Upsetting or extremely frightening dreams
Symptoms for Younger Children (who cannot express feelings verbally)
Out of control disruptive behavior
Extreme fear of being separated from their parent
Treatment for Childhood PTSD
Cognitive behavioral therapy
The number one treatment which applies that our thoughts and feelings influence our behavior
Play Therapy
Uses hand on materials to help younger kids process traumatic memories
Talk therapy
Help the child remember the traumatic event safely dealing with grief, guilt, anger, depression, anxiety, or behavioral issues
Family Therapy
Establishes a safe environment for the child, also creates a support system
Sohrab and PTSD
There are a number of factors contributing to Sohrab's behavior that support PTSD symptoms.
Causes of PTSD
The murder of his parents
Witnesses their murders
Living in an orphanage
Being bought by Assef
Repeated abuse- sexually and mentally
Witnessing Amir getting beat close to death
Shooting Assef in the eye
Sohrab’s Signs of PTSD
Silence
“Silence that sucked everything in like a black hole.” pg 363
Constantly Tired
Frequently sleeps throughout social situations
Bursts of Emotions
"Please! Please, no!" he croaked. "I'm scared of that place. They'll hurt me! I don't want to go." (pg 341)
Constant fear of repeating the trauma he experienced
Extreme fear of being placed in an orphanage again
Results in a suicide attempt
Difficulty Maintaining Close Relationships
After Sohrab and Amir become close, Sohrab cuts himself off from everyone.
"So I left the room and went looking for another hotel, unaware that almost a year would pass before I would hear Sohrab speak another word." (page 356)
Overwhelming Guilt or Shame
"Because I don't want them to see me...I'm so dirty." He sucked in his breath and let it out in a long, wheezing cry. "I'm so dirty and full of sin." (pg 319)
Treatment for Sohrab
A stable home environment
Amir gives Sohrab a stable home, but does not provide help for Sohrab’s PTSD
Cognitive behavioral therapy or family therapy for both Amir and Sohrab
Wrap up-
Definition- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
1. PTSD can occur from many other events than just war, such as domestic abuse, rape, prison stay, mass catastrophes, and serious accidental injuries
2. PTSD has a long history and was only recently given its due attention as a serious medical disorder.
3. PTSD can affect children differently than adults, possibly putting them at risk of developing a future mental illness, such as depression or a panic disorder.
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001923/http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1470/mainpageS1470P1.html
http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/gci/publications/workingpaperseries/pdfs/anderson%2005-04.pdf
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsd-children-adolescents.asp
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsd-children-adolescents.asp
http://www.stripes.com/news/soldiers-seeking-routine-medical-care-now-get-ptsd-screening-as-well-1.182194
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-11-29/PTSD-cases-rise/51476604/1
http://www.brainline.org/content/2011/01/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-a-history-and-a-critique_pageall.html
http://protomag.com/assets/ptsd-timeline-centuries-of-trauma
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2011/01/07/the-history-of-ptsd/